“The King of Rio” will return in his home town at UFC 301 in May.
UFC Hall of Famer and former featherweight champion Jose Aldo is ending his MMA retirement and returning to competition against Jonathan Martinez on the May 4 card, which takes place at Rio Arena in Rio de Janeiro (pay-per-view, ESPN+).
Aldo (31-8 MMA, 13-7 UFC) and Martinez (19-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) both confirmed the matchup on social media following an initial report from AgFight.
Aldo announced his retirement from MMA following a unanimous decision loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278 in August 2022. He’s since competed in three boxing matches, but will now get back in the octagon for another fight on Brazilian soil at age 37.
He will face a tough task in the streaking Martinez, an honorable mention in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, who has five consecutive victories in the 135-pound weight class, including Adrian Yanez and Cub Swanson.
The latest UFC 301 lineup now includes:
- Alexandre Pantoja vs. Stephen Erceg – for flyweight title
- Jose Aldo vs. Jonathan Martinez
- Caio Borralho vs. Paul Craig
- Vitor Petrino vs. Anthony Smith
- Makhmud Muradov vs. Michel Pereira
- Drakkar Klose vs. Joaquim Silva
- Kevin Borjas vs. Alessandro Costa
- Dione Barbosa vs. Ernesta Kareckaite
- Joanderson Brito vs. Jack Shore
- Elves Brener vs. Myktybek Orolbai
- William Gomis vs. Jean Silva
- Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Iasmin Lucindo
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 301.
